Serves meat, vegan options available. Sushi and Pan-Asian cuisine restaurant in Central Square. Despite its menu primarily being seafood-based, there are vegetarian and vegan options, including fancy sushi rolls and tofu entrees. Vibrant atmosphere, live jazz music some days. Previously named Thelonious Monkfish. Open Mon-Fri 11:30am-10:00pm, Sat 11:30am-11:00pm, Sun 12:00pm-10:00pm.
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524 Massachusetts Ave (at Central Square), Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA, 02139
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Last update on 06 Apr 2024 by RavishingRavenous
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8 Reviews
First Review by VindicatedVegan
krstabb
Points +84
Not a lot of vegan options - Edit
There were a few vegan options, but not many, especially compared with the vast number of things on the menu. A lot of the curries/soups/stir-frys often had fish in the sauce. The food that I had was ok but not really worth what I paid.
Read morePros: There were some vegan options
Cons: Not a lot of options, Lots of fish sauce, Not super flavorful
Guest
MusicLoverCodes
Points +254
Visit here if you love Asian Fusion Meals - Edit
As a vegetarian with a vegan partner, the Mad Monkfish is a great place. Lovely servers, great atmosphere. Great food as well: their menu has a “vegetarian” section, while there are vegan option foods (refer to menu photo); their scallion pancakes are to die for as appetizers. The servers might not exactly know the difference between “vegan” and “vegetarian” as the server we had claimed mushrooms are not vegan, hence it’s under the vegetarian section. We like our protein, so we ordered their tofu appetizers and katsu don, but unfortunately they were made out of soft tofu. Otherwise, everything else was great!
Read morePros: Food variety, Atmosphere (LGBTQ+ friendly!)
Cons: Staff: vegan is different from vegetarian, Extra firm Tofu would be great
Guest
wmullk1
Points +77
Lots of great options! - Edit
We really enjoy Mad Monkfish because there are such diverse vegan choices and they are all really good (at least the ones we’ve tried)! We especially love the tofu katsu and various of the sushi rolls, but the thai options and bao are also great! Very fun and tasty restaurant.
Read moreGuest
dappy5
Points +99
Veggie Sushi Options - Edit
Most places don't have much beyond a cucumber or avocado roll for sushi but this place has actual options. And there are veggie options on the rest of the menu too.
Read moreGuest
BrightonMD
Points +1320
Thai Japanese Cuisine - Edit
The menu highlights the vegetarian options of which there are many. There is a separate category for vegetarian sushi rolls. I ordered a few rolls all of which were delicious. For
Read moremy main course I ordered a spicy tofu and vegetable dish. There was a lot of heat, so beware - 2 stars signifies a lot of red hot pepper. The dish was tasty, and they added more vegetables to substitute for the obligatory rice which I did not want. Unfortunately the whole dish literary had only 2 half inch pieces of tofu. I’d never seen that before! Why skimp so much?
Pros: Lots of vegan options , Tasty, Reasonably priced
Cons: Skimping on tofu?!?, Can get crowded quickly around dinner
Guest
GJaen1
Points +209
Great options - Edit
Had their fried tofu with peanut sauce and tofu/veggie stir fry. Both delicious! Cocktails (specifically lychee one) also great. I’ve struggled to find restaurants in Boston/Cambridge with robust vegan options and a great cocktail menu and this checked all the boxes! Will def come again
Read morePros: Lots of vegetarian options , Lots of cocktails
Cons: Not the best labeled menu but staff knowledgeable
Guest
RyanSt
Points +208
Great Lunch - Edit
My friend and I went for lunch recently and both had a tough time deciding on what to order because there were a lot of options. We ordered the Alice Coltrane Roll, Satori Tofu and Drunken Noodles with tofu. The roll was really good although they forgot to bring it out so we had it after the main dishes. The Satori Tofu was a little lacking in flavor. We ordered the drunken noodles without fish sauce, oyster sauce and egg but even though heavily modified was very good. We both had a good meal and would definitely return.
Read morePros: Lots of options
Cons: One dish needed improvement
Guest
VindicatedVegan
Points +273
Wonderful spot with live jazz! - Edit
My husband and I went to Thelonious Monkfish last night for the first time and were blown-away. It can be difficult to find a place with good vegan food for me and also animal-based food that my meat-eater husband will like. This place had both, and the selections were gourmet for sushi and pan-asian cuisine with quite a few inventive dishes with names taken from the music and fairytale worlds. I had the "Alice Coltrane Roll" (wok-roasted balsamic-glazed shiitake, green apple + asparagus tempura) and the "Frankie & Johnny Roll" (Sweet potato tempura, cream cheese + avocado wrapped in nori + rice with black + white sesame, but omitting the cream cheese) and my husband had a grilled salmon dish. Both meals were well-presented and we both enjoyed them. The menu also had some fancier pan-asian vegan dishes, featuring mushrooms, panko-crusted tofu, etc., which I look forward to trying. But truly setting the night apart for a vegan-friendly restaurant was that a three-piece jazz band was playing in the front of one section of this two section facility. Apparently there is live jazz Thursday through Sunday. There are very few restaurants in the Boston area that my husband and I, both professionals in our 40s, can go out, both find something we would truly enjoy eating (with me being vegan and him being a meat-eater), and feel like we are on a nice date. Thelonious Monkfish allowed us to do so. We definitely will be back.
Read moreUpdated from previous review on Friday May 20, 2016
Pros: Variety of vegan items on menu, Live jazz, Vibrant atmosphere
Cons: Tables are very close together
Guest
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